Omaha daily bee., 1887-12-30
THE SUCCESSFUL HOTEL MAN.
A Peep Into the Mysteries Of tho
Huge Caravansary.
POPULAR oELUsloNs oIsPeLLEp
Every Man Thinks He Can "Keep
Tavcrn''-Necessary Qualifications
in a Proprietor-Uosto OF Ho.
tel Service.


but none the less true, that every living
be, is firmly possessed Of the conviction
that he could, if he tried, run hotel
or edit newspaper--if not in the high
est style of the art, at least better than
some one else is doing it. You never
hear the average man claim that he
could be successful financier, q great
divine, an eloquent lawyer, or u Won
derful physician, If he had half u chance!
No, it is always the newspaper or hotel
he seems to think he is especially fitted
for.
TO be successful hotel man requires
not only training and experience, but an
innate sense of that peculiar something
which is inexplicable; like poets, poll
ticians, and tramps, hotel man is born,
not made. He must be possessed Of the
divine afllatus, otherwise his career will
be short lived.
The proprietor is naturally the most
important feature of a hotel. The
popularity of his house depends in no
slrall degree upon the popularity OF
himself, and be he "rounder," prince
of good fellows, Zone of the boys" fond
of good story and good liquor-and
dispensing good stories and good liquors
himself-he need have no fear as TO his
future. If he happens to have no man
ager, his Importance, as well az his
labors. are increased twO-fold, but he
should have a manager. A proprietor
ought never to be other than Il figure
head. He should satisfy himself with
doing the ornamental.
Next to the proprietor in importance
comes the steward. Upon that official
devolves the entire 'down-stairs' man
agement. He it is who does the mar
keting and he also has the entire super
vision Of the culinary department, the
the right hand OF the proprietor Or
manager, and he receives II salary COM
mensurate with his duties and response
bilities. Under him he has staff of
employees, who, while perhaps being at
| the head of some subdepartment, are
accountable to him alone. OF these the
chief cook-with his innumerable as
sistants-the storekeeper, the dish
| washers. yardmen, engineers, and other
| help employed in the kitchen, as we'll
| as the dining room walters are all under
| his orders.
The menage of hotel may be divided
| into three distinct branches, as follows:
| The stewards department as above, the
office and housekeeper's department.
| The proprietor or manager is the great
mogul" and the heads Of these depart
ments are the ''grand viziers."
The Office or "frOnt of the house." as
it is technically known, is presided over
by the chief clerk. He is assisted by
several clerks, and in the larger hotels
| by a bookkeeper and cashier. A good
hotel clerk must be a walking cyclope-
dia, city directory, railway, steamboat
and postal guide, and, in short, a fOun-
tain of universal knowledge. With all
his faults, no man is more maligned than
the hotel clerk. In current fiction and
in the columns of humorous papers he is
| described as naughty and unapproach-
able despot, who, intrenched behind an
enormous diamond shirt stud and
sheathed in the impenetrable armor OF
his conceit eit,superciliously assigns tremb-
ling travellers, aghast at his magnificent
and lordly presence, to remote and
cheerless chambers at the top OF
the house. In reality, the average
clerk is the most good natured and
accommodating of mOrtals. Were he
not of serene and placid nature he
would long since have decorated cem-
etery, or have been the shining orna-
| menu Ol many u lundtlC dSy luiA' IIO 10
expected to be pleasant and attentive
under the most trying circumstances, to
remember everybody by name, and all
their peculiarities and eccentricities,
to give everyone the best room in the
house, to laugh at every humorous an
ecdote, no matter how antique, or OF
what degree Of chestnutty flavor, to lend
sympathetic tear to every traveller
who is in distress or imagines he is
which is much the same thing, and, in
general, to be good Samaritan, hall.
fellow-well-met,a a cicerone to CONNER
cial men who are bent upon "making Q
night of it," and guide to all the vari.
Gus ramificatiOns of the Smith anC
Jones family with whom the ambitious
cOuntryman desires to become &C
quainted.
The housekeeper has charge of the
entire 'up-stairs" department.; the
chambermaids, seamstresses, linen-room
girls and laundresses being under hel
supervision.
In hotel of 300 rooms, q number
which is, OF course, exceeded by many
houses in the large cities, but which il
an averaged-sized establishment, thu
hired help would usually consist OF thu
following personnel:
Office--Chief clerk, bOokkeeper an(
cashier, day clerk, room clerk, nigh
clerk, six bell boys, three porters and {
watchman.
Stewards department-Steward, chic
cook, pastry cook, two assistant cooks
vegetable cook, storekeeper, heat
waiter, from twelve to fifteen walters
two kitchen helpers, two dishwashers
butcher, baker, yardman, engineer
assistant engineer, two firemen, and
carpenter.
Housekeeper's departmeut-Hou
keeper linen room girl and seamstresses
and from fifteen to twenty chamber
, maids, and several laundresses.
il the house contained an elevator
which would probably be the case il
any city, this force would be increases
by two elevator boys, and where the ba
was run under the hotel management,
chief bartender and two assistant
would be required A billiard room an
| cafe in addition would naturally requir
service.
} In the matter Of salaries and wage
there is difference caused by the lo
\ cality In which the hotel is situated ,bu
they all include board and lodging.
AS a rule frst-class steward will re
B | ceive all the way from 81 800 to 500
per year. At several hotels in Ne,
York the later sum is exceeded, but tn
D average is nearer the former. In add